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0.- HARDGRAVE. SEED POTATO CUTTER.

No. 574,416, Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

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- when put together they are centrally de- UNITED STATES OAGERHARDGRAVE, OF OLARKSVIL LE, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO EDWARDT. MOCONNELL AND ALBERT M. MCLANE, OF

SAME PLACE.

SEED-POTATO CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,416, dated January5, 1897. Application filed March 17,1896. Serial No. 583,552. (Nomodel.)

To LtZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CAGER HARDGRAVE, of Olarksville, in the county ofJohnson and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Seed-Potato Outters and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,whichform part of this specification.

This invention pertains to seed-potato cutters; and its object is toprovide a device of simple and improved form for quickly andconveniently sectioningtpotatoes for planting.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterfully described and claimed, and illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improveddevice. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is an invertedplan view. Fig. 4. is a detail view of the blades constituting one ofthe cutters.

A designates the base, having two circular openings 0 therein, onepreferably being of greater diameter than the other, said base beingadapted to be removably secured over a box or other receptacle by meansof screws A at the respective ends of the base.

A securing board or strip B is positioned on top of the base and isformed with openings 0, corresponding with the openings 0 of the base,and the adjacent surfaces of the said securing-board and base arenotched inward, as shown at D, said notches being arranged at properintervals about the outline of the vertical openings of said parts. Thenotches D,however, do not extend to the outer surface of either of saidparts.

The cutters E are each made up of a series so as to cross each other andextend in radial order, the extremities of the blades being formedV-shaped, so as to extend into notches D and be firmly held by the baseand securing board or strip when the same are fastened together. Theupper edges of these knives are sharpened, and they are so formed thatpressed upon their upper sides. The cutters here shown each consist ofthree blades,which form six radiating knife-sections; but I do not limitmyself to this particular number, as more or less may be employed, asmay be found advantageous. The larger of the cutters is for sectioningthe large potatoes, and the smaller one for cutting the smallerpotatoes.

At one end of base A is cross-strip F, and hinged thereto is thepressure-lever G, the same being adapted to fold down over and in linewith the cutters and provided on its under side with the pressure-feetH, one for each cutter, so as to hold the potatoes and force them to theknives. The under sides of these pressure-feet are preferably formedwith the longitudinal depressions, so as to gain a firm hold upon thepotatoes and prevent the same 7 from slipping laterally from position. Astop I depends from lever G between the pressure-feet H, and it isadapted to engage the cross-rib J of the securing board or strip, andthus prevent the pressure-feet from being forced downward upon theknives.

As the potatoes are sliced vertically and projected downward through thebase, they are adapted to be engaged by the Y-shaped cutter K, pivotallymounted at its angle to the under side of the base, each branch of saidcutter being adapted to reciprocate across the lower end of one of thebase-openings, and thus cut the potatoes transversely. One movement ofthe cutter serves to cause the Y-shaped knife to traverse bot-hopenings, thus rendering the operation simple and rapid. Stop L,depending from base A, prevents the cutter from being reciprocated toofar in either direction.

With a device of the character here shown and described the operator maywith one hand force the potatoes downward over the stationary cutters bymeans of the pressurelever and with the other hand vibrate the Y- shapedknife and slice the same transversely. The operation of cuttingseed-potatoes is thus rendered simple, rapid, and effectual.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is v 1. The combination of the base, the fixedcuttersarranged therein, and the pivoted Y- shaped cutter adapted toreciprocate across the lines of the fixed cutters, substantially asshown and described.

2. The combination of the base provided with two openings, the cuttersarranged vertically in said openings, and the Y-shaped knife or cutterpivotally secured to the under side of the base, whereby the branches ofsaid Y-shaped cutter may be reciprocated [0 over the respectiveopenings, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

OAGER I-IARDGRAVE.

\Vitnesses: A. C. MILLER, J. H. POWERS.

